


she follows me down, down, down

by orphan_account



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Budding Love, Cousin Incest, F/M, Family Issues, Fluff, Light Angst, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23598922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Zagreus recounts the tale of meeting a mighty huntress in the depths of darkness. “She said she knew how it felt to feel alone,” he says, smiling. “And that is what kept me going.”She sighs. “And let me guess, this woman of yours was the most beautiful in all the land?”
Relationships: Zagreus/Artemis (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62





	she follows me down, down, down

The first time he sees her is in the snow.

The world is silent, except for the quiet footfalls he makes as he moves forward. Each step of his flame licked feet give rise to small puffs of steam. He cannot properly feel it; not from his soles, but he can tell from the air around him. This place is cold. Everything is cold. And it is so wonderfully, brilliantly _white_.

Artemis stands there, like a deer in shock, as snow slowly blankets the fur trappings tightly wrapped around her shoulders. She grips her bow as she swallows, and she just stands there. And it _amazes_ him. Through the mirror of the various boons he had received from her, he knows what she looks like; her braided green hair resting behind her, her signature bone horns, the singular green stripe under her eye. This is the first time they have ever met in the flesh, however. This is the first time he’ll touch her, as he notices the shallow rise and fall of her shivering chest.

“Artemis?” He calls out to her, and she looks so scared. Her grip on her bow tightens, and she stares to a place behind him, something he can’t quite see. He smiles as he slowly approaches her, and she almost flinches, stumbling back.

“Zagreus, I – I…” She stammers. For such a ferocious huntress, he half-expected her to bite at him. But she bites on her own lip instead, and remains quiet. He gently places his hand on her face, and she softens, only a little.

And they just stand there in the silence, wondering, and waiting.

In time, she comes to show him her world.

The twists and turns of the riverbend; of its rocky shores and jutting tree roots that form makeshift bridges at the widest berth. The steep slopes, angled in such a way that one must jump from rock footing to rocking footing to get to the top. The wild green grass swaying in the wind, hiding treasures within. The ancient forest and its canopy, alive with birds and other such things. The distant laughter of the woodland nymphs he could never quite reach. And how the river flowed through this land of hers, marking fertile soils and drinking wells for the wildlife who inhabited it.

If he squinted hard enough, Zagreus could almost see Charon and his lonely boat down the stream, selling his wares in the shade, far from the sun.

“Do you think they’d like him?” He jokes.

“…Like who?” She asks.

“You know, your little forest friends and my boatman. Sure, he can be a little off-putting, but Charon’s a nice guy.” He says, laughing.

She shakes her head, grumbling.

She is alert, crouching in the brush. She moves quietly, and swiftly, and Zagreus does his best to keep up, as he creates small singes on the earth. She eyes him as he struggles to put the small embers out, and he can only give a half-hearted shrug at the turn of events. Her eyes narrow, and she moves without him, further into the forest. He supposes he can only watch from afar, as she circles her prey like a mighty wolf. And with a single strike of her arrow, she kills the animal with ease, tossing her best hunting knife across the clearing with a knowing smirk. He sighs and begins to do the dirty work for her.

With a grin, she climbs up the tallest tree and nestles herself within its branches, lounging comfortably. The wind rustles loose a few locks of her hair, and she sighs, fully leaning back as her arms dangle in the air. No matter how many times he had seen her relax, whether it was next to a tree or a riverbank, he was always full of wonder whenever he saw the change between a strict, experienced hunter and a girl who thought napping in a tree was fun.

“You’re beautiful,” he tells her.

She rolls her eyes. “Sure.”

Once he finishes with his task, she pats on the branches. “Come up here, why don’t you? It feels nice. Maybe you can rest those burning feet of yours.” He nods as he begins his own climb, awkwardly shifting on the branches. She laughs, and he supposes the embarrassment is worth it. It wasn’t like he had trees when he was growing up in the great hall of the so-called mighty Lord Hades. But he was positive enough that he had seen her enough times that he could handle it, as he found his own crook to nap in. Lounging in a tree – that was a first. But he didn’t mind it too much.

He glances at her every so often when he thought she wasn’t looking, too distracted by watching the clouds stroll by for her to notice. She had always said she disliked being worshiped; a job was a job, and if she did her job right, wasn’t that the most anyone could ask of her? What did all the fawning attention do for her, anyways? It made her feel awkward and much too important and uncomfortable, she had said as much many times before. But Zagreus always found it hard to deny such a temptation.

What was a goddess for if not for worshiping…?

She eyes him as he smirks, and they pass the day away.

It is a hot summer’s day. Artemis forgoes her usual attire and only wears a light, thin dress in his company. For someone such as him, the heat is not that unbearable, if annoying at all. But he follows suit with her, taking off the customary skulls off his chiton, and letting the fabric fall off his other shoulder. Her bow is a respectable distance away, resting on an old stump – but he doesn’t make any assumptions. Artemis is as quick as wildfire, and if he made the wrong move, he would get burnt.

The breezes passes by them lazily. She sighs, as she brushes some of her hair back. She looks at him, and sighs again. “How are you _not_ hot? It’s sweltering.”

He chuckles as he rests on his side. “I’m pretty heat resistant, I’d say.”

She laughs. “Must be nice. You never had seasons down there, did you?”

“Never,” he replies.

“Must be boring then, for it to be hot all the time.” She turns on her side, her dress riding up slightly to show more of her supple thigh. Zagreus glances, but he makes no moves toward her.

She turns her head slightly, cocking an eyebrow. “…Are you waiting for something?”

He chuckles. “I believe angering the most brilliant huntress would be a crime.”

She snorts. “Well, aren’t you well-behaved?” Artemis sighs, flushing a little as she looks away. “It’s… It’s fine, you know, to touch me. It’s not like I’m some wild animal. Just as long as you can act as shade.”

He chuckles as he lays closer to her, resting a hand on her thigh. “You’re awfully cold.”

“And you run hot as hell. Well, I guess I should have expected it.” She mumbles.

Thus far, this is the closest he’s ever been to her. Despite their budding relationship (Zagreus is trying not to assume too much), she’s always kept him a fair distance away. She’s justified it in so many ways (preferring to be alone, the woodland nymphs either being too clingy or too into gossip, disliking being touched), but she’s quiet here. He’s close enough to smell her, even. Artemis smells like wildflowers, and the grass after a rainy day. She whines, complaining that he smells like ash. He chuckles. “Oh, yes, please keep laughing. I’m sure all of this is _hilarious_.”

And then, he does something _daring_. He kisses the back of her neck, and she squeals out a sound he’d never thought he’d hear from her. She turns bright red, quickly covering the back of her neck with her hand, glaring at him.

“Are you, by any chance, _sensitive_ there?” He teases, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes! No! Maybe – ugh! Just don’t go around telling everyone, okay? I’ll never hear the end of it if Callisto finds out. And stop it, it’s too hot…. It’s too hot for stuff like that,” she whispers out the last part, still bright red, and he smiles as he backs off, but only a little.

“If you say so. But I’ll have you know I was _still_ acting as shade.” He grins.

She huffs.

The leaves change, and become colorful and brittle. The unwavering heat of summer falls away to the crisp air of autumn, as she dons her fur trappings again, and her quiver hangs lazily about her hip. Some of the more childish nymphs create leaf piles for her to fall in, or for Zagreus to stumble into. The hunting is good, she tells him, and it’s their last chance before the bone chill of winter settles across the land. He merely jokes that as the woman of the house, she does most of the hunting anyways. Artemis rolls her eyes.

As fruit becomes ripe, she leads him to an old orchard, and they share from nature’s bounty. He picks up an apple from an apple tree, and teases with it, holding it just high enough above her head where little Artemis couldn’t reach. But oh, his huntress finds her ways, as she reaches for an arrow from her quiver and strikes at the apple with said arrow in her hand. He lets it go, and she grins with pride.

“Rather bold of you, Artemis.” He says, chuckling.

“A huntress does what she must,” she says, as she bites into her prize.

The wind blows gently as they rest on a rickety fence, half-rotten away and infested with termites, he’s sure, but by some miracle, it was still up. Artemis claims she’s bored; the woodland nymphs kept bothering her with their worship, and so, she snuck away, and now she’s just bored without their constant chatter. “It’s not like it’s so bad – having nymphs for friends. They’re nice, you know, but since I’m a goddess – an Olympian, daughter of Lord Father – it’s like they think I need the ground I walked on kissed upon every hour of every day. Even Callisto gets this bad, and she’s not even the worst of it.”

“I don’t think I’ve met this nymph yet,” he says.

She groans. “Trust me, Zagreus, it’s for the best. You won’t believe how chatty they get, and if they get a hold of you, it’s never going to end.”

So, he tells her a story.

Zagreus recounts the tale of meeting a mighty huntress in the depths of darkness. Blessed by her arrows, he always found his aim to be true, and steady. He mixes her own tales with his tale, as he references her fights with her siblings or her father, the pranks of the nymphs she had for company or advice she would give him whenever things seemed hopeless. “She said she knew how it felt to feel alone,” he says, smiling. “And that is what kept me going.”

She sighs. “And let me guess, this woman of yours was the most beautiful in all the land?”

“Yes, she was.” He says.

“Even more so than Aphrodite?” She asks him.

He nods. “Of course.”

She sighs again, crossing her arms. “I’m going to regret asking this but why was she more beautiful than Aphrodite?”

He laughs. “Because… she mattered most to him. Loved for not only her beauty, but for her wit and character. The way she stammered whenever given a gift, or the steady aim of her bow. Her kind heart.” He takes her hand, gingerly holding it in his own. “Aphrodite may be the most beautiful goddess, yes. But I don’t care for her like I care for you. And that’s all that matters.”

She looks at him, eyes wide and face flushed bright red. She opens her mouth, and then she closes it, looking away. “You… you better make sure she doesn’t hear that, you know. She gets incredibly jealous, and I don’t want you to have to fight over something stupid like that.”

“I’ll be very careful then, Lady Artemis,” he says softly as he kisses her hand.

She blushes even redder. “Ugh, you’re unbearable, you know that?”

“I have an idea,” he says, chuckling.

Snow blankets the world again.

Artemis stands quietly, softly gripping at the fur covering her shoulders as Zagreus stares into the entrance of the Temple of Styx. The entrance itself, looming and bare, lay in ruins, covered in snow and ice. She remembers this is only her second time visiting. Death has never been her domain, not really; she has no real reason to come here, if not for him. But as she stares up the pillars still in their places, she couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps this place was grand once. If the temple looked beautiful in younger years, decorated and dutifully cleaned. Maybe it even had a little garden for a giant three-headed dog and a little boy to frolic in.

She sighs quietly, as she looks at Zagreus.

For all his troubles and worries, he always seemed so… carefree. Eager to take on the world and all its injustice, armed with nothing but a sword and an ill-timed quip. In this moment, however, he almost looks solemn. Mournful, regretful, distant – all things she would never associate with such a witty and charming man (and yes, she would admit he had good humor). He’s told her things, bits and pieces; he begs her not to tell the rest of her family. If not for Aphrodite, she was sure no one would even have a hint that they were “together” in any capacity.

She understands, of course. She has secrets, too. Like the time she diluted Dionysus’ wine to ruin his fun, or how she hid her brother’s favorite harp because he broke a bow of hers and refused to apologize because it had been an “accident”. Sometimes, she hated how her father and her uncle were so bombastic, and had to include the whole family. Sometimes, it felt like she was the only one doing any sort of job. They were nothing as grave as Zagreus, she knew, but still – she knew what it was like to keep secrets.

Maybe that’s why they were here. Reminiscing over his broken family, as cracked as the pillars that surrounded them. Perhaps not too deep at first, perhaps not so unsightly yet, but always just as ignored, until the cracks run deep into the foundation and until they crumble. Until they can’t be fixed anymore.

“Are you going back?” She asks him.

“No. I was just curious to see if I had changed my mind. Father always did say I was impulsive.” He responds.

She realize he’s spoken so little about his father. It feels as though she must have bored him ages ago with all the nonsense and tomfoolery her own father eagerly got up to with her equally foolish uncle. But no matter how many times she asks, he says it’s for the best. It’s for the best that they don’t speak of him, lest old wounds start to fester. Lord Uncle Hades always seemed so distant. So unreachable.

Was this why?

“And you haven’t?” She asks again.

It takes a moment, as he looks down to the ground and sighs. “I haven’t found her yet,” he says quietly. It’s full of shame.

She takes a deep breath as she approaches him, and gently places her head on his shoulder. Words often fail her; a side effect of constantly wanting to be alone, she guesses. But even if her words could be enough, it wasn’t really, was it? And for as awful as her own family could be, they were together, at least. She could call on her father or her brother, or any one of her siblings, and they would simply be _there_. She’s never been more thankful, but she’s never been more sadden, too.

Zagreus has no one, it seems.

“But I did find you,” he says, as he smiles at her.

“Yeah, and almost all the Olympians. I wasn’t the _only_ one giving you a favor, you know.” She retorts, but she makes no move to leave his side, and if he asks, it’s because his blood runs much hotter than hers, and it was cold out here. She takes another breath.

“…So, you aren’t… going to leave, then?” She whispers, almost afraid he’d say yes. As if she cared. But she did care, didn’t she? She cared about this stupid fool enough that she didn’t want to let go.

He chuckles, in his usual fashion, and gently takes her chin in his hand. “No, of course not. Let’s go back.” She’s about to say something before he kisses her. He kisses her, and she finds herself _melting_ in his heat. It’s almost like there’s fire in his mouth, and she’s _eager_ to get burnt. But before she knew it, he pulls away, and she’s left chasing steam.

“…I’m sure Callisto misses you dearly by now. Maybe she’ll even turn into a bear for target practice.” He muses, and she frowns, punching him in his stupid exposed pec.

“You kiss me and that’s the first thing that comes to your mind? _Callisto_?” She’s furious.

“I didn’t think you were one for romance. Though, I do have other things on my mind, if that’s what you mean.” He smirks and she officially has had enough.

“Ugh. Well, it’d be… it’d be nice, okay! I like you! Maybe I want the guy I like to be a little romantic!” She huffs, before realizing what she just said, and groans at how stupid she sounded. “…Great, now I want Callisto to turn into a bear.”

He laughs, wrapping an arm around her. “And I’m sure she will.”

She just huffs, and lets Zagreus lead her away.

**Author's Note:**

> so like a fool, i didn't realize that certain parts of the canon in this game contradict the entire set up for this story. (not talking about the gags at the end). so, i'm choosing to ignore those parts of canon.


End file.
